Month: May 2008

The Kanchenjunga conservation area

The New Nation: Bangladesh’s Independent News Source, Internet Edition. May 26, 2008

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/05/26/news0731.htm

The Kanchenjunga conservation area

It was 10 years ago when the staffs of DNPWC and WWF Nepal who had gone for feasibility study in KCA were chased away by locals fearing that they would be removed from their land and restricted from using the natural resources which they had being doing for ages. Over the years, despite the various adversity and challenges, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project (KCAP) has managed to fulfill its objectives but even as we appreciate and applaud the effort the one of a kind protected area management practice and its impact on such conservation practice is yet to be evaluated.

Declared as “A Gift to the Earth (1997)”,the

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) is known for its rich biodiversity, its spectacular scenery of Mt Kanchenjunga (8,586m), and rich cultural heritage represented by the 5,254 inhabitants living within the four Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Lelep, Olangchungola, Tapethok and Yamphudin.

On March 22, 1998, with the technical and financial support from WWF Nepal, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) launched the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project or KCAP. The aim was to conserve globally threatened wildlife species such as the snow leopard combined with local development activities like the promotion of health services, informal education, and income generating activities. The KCA also falls within the Sacred Himalayan Landscape, a landscape approach for biodiversity conservation and improving livelihoods in the Eastern Himalaya. Since 1998, WWF has invested US$ 1.5 million in KCA undertaking initiatives to conserve and protect the flora and fauna while also focusing on programs to improve livelihood, as well as educational and advocacy programs. In 2000, the Conservation Area Government Management Regulation was formulated while the territory of KCA was extended from 1,659sq.kms to 2.035sq.kms.

Ever since the initiation of KCAP, the local communities of Kanchenjunga have long expressed their eagerness to take on the responsibility of the conservation area. With this perspective the KCA Management Council (KCAMC) was formed in 2000 which was represented by all stakeholders from the seven Conservation Area User Committees, 44 User Groups, and 32 Mother Groups. The KCAMC in July 2004 submitted the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Plan to the DNPWC. The goal of the management plan is that biodiversity of KCA is managed by local communities to ensure ecological integrity and bring socio-economic benefits. The management plan was approved by the Cabinet of the Government of Nepal on August 31, 2006.

On September 22, 2006, a formal handover of KCA to the local management council KCAMC was organized. Late Mr Gopal Rai, Minister of State for Forests and Soil Conservation, handed over a Certificate of Authority to late Mr. Dawa Tchering Sherpa, Chairperson of the management council, for the management of the conservation area at a ceremony. This ceremony was attended by international and national conservationists, government dignitaries, friends and supporters as well as national media. This historic step shows the commitment of the Government of Nepal towards the devolution of power to local communities, especially with regard to natural resources and equitable sharing of benefits.
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Protecting the predator

From: India Today

By Sandeep Unnithan

May 15, 2008

Till a few years ago, whenever the people of the picturesque Kibber village in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti valley discovered that their cows and yaks were killed by the snow leopard, they would try to poison or trap the elusive cat.

Today, however, after every such incident, they merely inform the village community members who then confirm if the preyed animal had a thumbnail-sized numbered metal tag on its ear—a proof of insurance—and hand them anything between Rs 2,500 and Rs 10,000 as compensation.

Thanks to a unique livestock insurance scheme started by the International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT) and the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), villagers do not vent their anger on trying to kill the endangered animal and instead are compensated for their loss.

Every year, all the households of the five quaintly named villages of Spiti—Kibber, Kee, Gete, Tashigang and Chichim—pool in Rs 800 towards insuring their cows and yaks—sheep and goats are not covered yet— against assaults by snow leopards.

These shy cats are smaller than the common leopard but sport a thicker spotted-coat and tail. They number less than 500 and are found mostly in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.

The project was initiated nearly six years ago because of the failure of the usual state-run compensation schemes mired in red tape, corruption and fake claims.

It owes its success mainly to the fact that the villagers have taken ownership of the programme and treat it as their own. “There are no fake claims because the villagers realise it is their own money,” says Koustubh Sharma, regional field biologist with ISLT.

The scheme began with the two organisations paying 60 per cent of the premium but is now wholly paid for and run by the villagers.

From 171 households in the five Spiti villages which pooled in over Rs 24 lakh, the scheme has now spread to nearby Ladakh where it covers 72 households.

The villagers have taken up the scheme with a missionary zeal. “Their democratic and tightly-knit social structure and the involvement of women have played a big role in its success,” says Pranav Trivedi, who heads ISLT’s education programmes.

The trust also got the villagers to set aside a 20 squarekilometre reserve for the snow leopard near their villages to ensure that the endangered animal found enough prey.

Consequently, when they spot a snow leopard now, the villagers in Spiti valley do not see the animal as a threat, instead they treat it as a gentle interloper. It’s a welcome change in attitude, which could augur well for other areas of human-wildlife conflict as well.

 

http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&&issueid=54&id=8320&Itemid=1&page=in&latn=2

Bhutan tigers reach new high

From “The Hindu” Online edition of India‘s National Newspaper
Monday, May 19, 2008

Thimphu: Bhutan is the only country to have tigers at incredibly high altitudes, where their habitat is overlapping those of the elusive snow leopards, conservationists in the Himalayan country have claimed.

Fresh pictures and pugmarks from the Jigme Dorji National Park show that Royal Bengal tigers in Bhutan are being found at altitudes never seen before. Authorities say the tigers are being found at heights overlapping the habitat of the snow leopard.

The study, which started in April, is using 38 strategically placed GPS-marked and infrared-trigger cameras to find out the total number of tigers. It will also be extended to secure a photographic record of the total number of snow leopards in the country.

The reasons for tigers being found at such high altitudes will hopefully emerge from the study. “We may also get data on how the overlapping of territory of these two big cats may be affecting each other, if at all,” said ‘Tiger’ Sangay of the Nature Conservation Division. — PTI

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/19/stories/2008051951442000.htm

DNA profiling to find Bhutan`s snow leopard count

From zeenews.com:

Thimphu, May 20: With tigers and wild dogs encroaching habitat of snow leopards and little information available about their spread and abundance, scientists in Bhutan are mulling genetic fingerprinting to know more about this elusive animal.

The technique, used along with a modern graph calculation system, will provide a more scientific estimate of the number, spread and abundance of snow leopards in Bhutan, said animal biologist Tsewang.

“To track these animals by genetic fingerprinting, we will collect their ‘scat’ or faeces and analyse their DNA for more information on them,” he said.

Tsewang has already gone ‘scat’ hunting and come up with some interesting findings. “In Bartshong-Lingshi under Jigme Dorji National Park we were told by officials that stray dogs were found to be encroaching in the habitat of the snow leopard.”

According to villagers, these dogs have also been known to corner leopards and steal their kill with ease. Authorities say tigers in the country are being found at altitudes so high that they are overlapping the habitat of the snow leopard.

According to Tsewang, the best places for snow leopard scat and signs are off the beaten track and deeper into the forest. “These leopards prefer places like steep cliffs at an elevation, bases of cliffs, narrow bases and ridges. They sometimes even come as low as the river when travelling from one place to another,” he said.

The study, when completed, will also show whether snow leopards are using the biological corridors.

“We’ll determine this by seeing if the gene pools are mixing in the different parks of Bhutan,” said Tsewang.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=444055&sid=ENV&ssid=26